Dietary Guidelines Changes and NAFTA Sunset Proposal

**The process used to develop the Dietary Guidelines for Americans every five years needs an overhaul to increase efficiency and transparency, and enhance credibility, according to a report from the National Academy of Sciences.

Specifically, the NAS report recommends establishing three separate groups to replace the current Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which produces the report used by USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to develop the guidelines.

In the committee’s place would be a new Dietary Guidelines Planning and Continuity Group that would prioritize topics to be included in the guidelines and conduct strategic planning.

According to Brownfield, the Minnesota Democrat co-authored the energy title in the 2014 Farm Bill, and is seeking additional resources for the next cycle.

He says the measure also provides financial incentives through its popular Rural Energy for America Program, and supports advanced biofuel production.

Given the likelihood of a smaller federal budget, Franken contends investing in renewable energy pays for itself.

**U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer both want a drastic sunset provision to be included in a new North American Free Trade Agreement.

In an Agri-Pulse report, Ross said “It would force a systematic re-examination,” but adds it’s unclear if they would be successful pushing the sunset proposal as NAFTA talks continue because Canada and Mexico are clearly opposed.